The Five Outstanding Achievements Qatar Has Made in the Past Decade

It’s Qatar National Day and this young nation has come a long way from its inception in 1971. Elan sees this as a perfect time to celebrate Qatar’s accomplishments and rapid advancements in the fields of education, sports, travel and the arts. Here’s a list of Qatar making history that may surprise you.

The First Middle Eastern Country to Host the World Cup

Qatar successfully outbid numerous competitors for the right to host The World Cup in 2022. Despite controversy about how Qatar secured the rights, this is a major accomplishment, as Qatar will receive international attention, a boost in tourism, and an opportunity to showcase Arab culture with a unifying event.

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

Instead of simply buying a globally renowned brand name museum such as the Guggenheim or Louvre, Qatar was bold enough to launch their own museum brand – Mathaf, with an emphasis on the artistic pan-Arab cultural identity. With a total of 6,000 interactive pieces, the artworks exhibited at Mathaf can be traced back to the late 18^th century as well as the contemporaries, and are predominantly by Arab artists. Mathaf (which literally translates to ‘Museum’ in Arabic) also functions as an educational hub, tackling the influences behind the pieces as well as exploring controversial topics in art history. The museum received an LCD award for being the “best emerging culture destination” in the Middle East.

Establishing satellite campuses of Major Universities/Education City

Students in Qatar now have access to world class educations right in Doha- from universities such as Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, Texas A&M and Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Qatar Airways / Hamad International

Qatar now has one of the best airlines in the world as well as one of the busiest airports. Qatar Airways has taken home the prizes for best in flight food as well as friendliest staff – according to Skytrax’s 18.9 million voting passengers, while Hamad International Airport is expanding to over 140 destinations across the globe.

Qatar Foundation

QF supports and operates programs for Qatar in Education, Science and Community Development and strives to contribute to human development nationally, regionally and internationally. Entrepreneurs, women, artists, cultural initiatives, education- have all benefited by QF programs and guidance. For example, Education City, The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Qatar’s Solar Technology and the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute are all thanks to QF.

Written by Yara Boraie

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